Dicer gene expression as a prognostic factor in acute lymphoblastic leukemia and chronic lymphocytic leukemia in pars province

Alterations in the expression of microRNAs [miRNAs] have been proposed to play a role in the pathogenesis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia [ALL] and chronic lymphocytic leukemia [CLL]. Dicer is one of the main regulators of miRNA biogenesis, and deregulation of its expression has been indicated as a possible cause of miRNA alterations observed in various cancers. Our aim was to analyze the expression of the Dicer protein and its relationship with ALL and CLL. This cross-sectional study was performed from 2010 to 2012 in Shahid Faghihi Hospital, Shiraz, Iran. In this study, 30 patients with CLL, 21 patients with ALL, 10 child healthy donors, and 19 adult healthy donors were recruited. The patients' samples were checked via flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry, and immunocytochemistry. The controls' samples were also examined in the hematology ward. Total RNA was extracted from the bone marrow and peripheral blood samples of the patients and controls. Then, reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction was used to estimate the level of Dicer miRNA. The outcomes of the expression analysis of Dicer revealed statistically significant differences between the ALL patients/child healthy controls [meaniSD, 0.19 +/- 0.28vs. 0.73 +/- 0.12; P<0.001] and the CLL patients/adult healthy controls [mean +/- SD, 0.24 +/- 0.25 vs. 0.41 +/- 0.28; P=0.033]. This is the first piece of evidence showing that the expression of the Dicer gene greatly decreased in the patients with ALL in comparison to the child controls. The expression of the Dicer gene was also downregulated in the patients with CLL compared to the adult controls. Given the above findings, the expression of Dicer may play an important role in the progression and prognosis of these diseases

Cytogenetic findings of patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in Fars province

Background: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia [ALL] is the sixth most common malignancy in Iran. Cytogenetic analysis of leukemic blasts plays an important role in classification and prognosis in ALL patients. The purpose of this study was to define the frequency of chromosomal abnormalities of ALL patients in adults and children in Fars province, Iran

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we evaluated karyotype results of bone marrow specimens in 168 Iranian patients with ALL [154 B-ALL and 14 T-ALL] in Fars Province using the conventional cytogenetic G-banding method

Results: The frequency of cytogenetic abnormalities, including numerical and/or structural changes, was 61.7% and 53.8% in the B-ALL and T-ALL patients, respectively. Hyperdiploidy was the most common [32%] cytogenetic abnormality. Among structural abnormalities, the most common was t[9;22] in 11% of the patients. The children showed a higher incidence of hyperdiploidy and lower incidence of t[9;22] than adults [P<0.05]. We found a lower incidence of recurrent abnormalities such as 11q23, t[1;19], and t[12;21] than those reported in previous studies

Conclusion: Normal karyotype was more frequent in our study. The frequencies of some cytogenetic abnormalities such as hyperdiploidy and t[9;22] in our study were comparable to those reported in the literature. The results of this study in Fars Province can be used as baseline information for treatment decision and research purposes in ALL patients. We recommend the use of advanced molecular techniques in the future to better elucidate cryptic cytogenetic abnormalities

Distribution of myofibroblast cells and microvessels around invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast and comparing with the adjacent range of their normal-to-DCIS zones

This study seeks to determine the relationships between manifestation of myofibroblast in the stroma tissue of hyperplastic pre-invasive breast lesions to invasive cancer by investigating clinicopathological data of patients, their effect on steroid receptor expression and HER2, and angiogenesis according to CD34 antigen expression. Handred cases of invasive ductal carcinoma were immunohistochemically investigated for the presence of smooth muscle actin [SMA], ER/PR, HER2, anti-CD34 antibody and microvessel count [MVC]. Patients were scored in four different zones of invasive areas: invasive cancer, DCIS, fibrocystic disease +/- ductal intraepithelial neoplasia [FCD +/- DIN], and normal tissue. There was a significant difference in stromal myofibroblast between all areas except for the stroma of DCIS and FCD +/- DIN [P < 0.001]. We observed positive significant correlations between stromal myofibroblast, HER2 expression, and the numbers of involved lymph nodes in invasive cancer, DCIS, and FCD +/- DIN [P < 0.001]. More myofibroblast were present in grade III cases, with the least frequent observed among grade I cases in the stroma of those with invasive disease, DCIS, and FCD +/- DIN [P < 0.001]. MVC was inversely related to stromal myofibroblast in invasive cancer [P < 0.001] and DCIS [P < 0.001], whereas there was a positive correlation in the stroma of FCD +/- DIN [P = 0.002] and normal areas [P = 0.054]. There was a significant difference in MVC observed in all areas except for DCIS and FCD +/- DIN [P < 0.001]. We noted significant inverse correlations between MVC, HER2 expression, and the numbers of involved lymph nodes in invasive cancer and DCIS [P < 0.001]. Most MVC were present in grade I, with the least frequent observed in grade III cases in the stroma of invasive cancer, DCIS and FCD +/- DIN [P < 0.001]. Angiogenesis can be observed before any significant myofibroblastic changes in the pre-invasive breast lesions. The elevated content of myofibroblast in stroma of tumor; probably may be a worse prognostic factor and the steps from atypical epithelial hyperplasia to DCIS and then to the invasive carcinoma do not appear to be always part of a linear progression